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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26978467">Coming Home</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/wintergreen28/pseuds/wintergreen28'>wintergreen28</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>our lives together [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Criminal Minds (US TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Fluff, lots of fluff, slight angst not really</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 21:50:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,158</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26978467</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/wintergreen28/pseuds/wintergreen28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Another one-shot for Elizabeth Walker and Aaron Hotchner!!<br/>(Takes place like an hour after completion of Sex, Birth, Death)</p><p>Walker comes home from a six-month-long tour in Afghanistan and we get some welcome home fluff!!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aaron Hotchner/Original Female Character(s), Aaron Hotchner/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>our lives together [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1959631</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Coming Home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The flight was easily one of the longest ones I had ever been on. Despite hating planes, an odd hatred with the job I had, I was buzzing with anticipation the entire way home. It had been a long six months in Afghanistan, witnessing more trauma to talk about in therapy on Tuesday, but I was more than ready to go home. It was honestly a miracle I had made it out alive. </p><p>Exhaustion made my body sag slightly, but I was determined to surprise the team. Admittedly, it was later but I knew they would all be at the office. They practically lived there. </p><p>I landed in Dulles without much trouble, meeting JJ at the airport. Before she saw me, she was on the phone, a very concerned look on her face as she reacted to whatever someone was telling her.</p><p>I slipped out of the gate, my bag hiked up on my shoulder, and she immediately hung up with a grin when she gained sight of me. As soon as I made it past the barrier, she grounded me with a hug, her arms looping around my middle tightly. I gripped her shoulders, and tried to fight back tears, my hat falling off. Letting me go, she brushed my BDUs off, and led me out towards where her car was.</p><p>“How are you? I’ve missed you so much.” I got out, practically hopping to the car in excitement.</p><p>”I’ve been pretty good, everything’s been good at the office— but fair warning, the team is just getting back from a rough case.”</p><p>”Okay, okay, I’ll be a little muted, but I still want to surprise them.” </p><p>“Deal.”</p><p> </p><p>It was only a little while later that we were sitting in the BAU, having pulled out two chairs, catching up on previous cases, and her trying to set me up on yet another blind date. Before long, the elevators chimed as they opened, and a very tired looking team dredged out. Derek immediately perked up when he saw me within the doors, prior to everyone else noticing and rushed into the bullpen. He practically pulled me up out of my chair in a bear hug, spinning me around the room, fighting back tears. I held onto him tightly smiling and laughing.</p><p>“God I missed you, Hot Stuff.” He said, loosening his grip and pulling back up to cup my face.</p><p>“I bet I missed you more.” I cooked, as he placed a kiss on my forehead. Spencer came up behind me as Derek let me go, and I wrapped my arms around him, taking in his depressed and shocked state.</p><p>”I love you kid. I only heard briefly what happened, but I’m here now. I promise.” I whispered, holding him to me, my hand finding a place on the back of his head.</p><p>”I love you too. Please don’t leave again,” he deflated a little, presumably in relief. “We missed you so much.” </p><p>I moved away from him after placing a small kiss on his cheek, when I was confronted by Gideon. He gave me a quick hug, welcoming me home in his own little way, clapping my shoulder as he moved to his office. </p><p>Penelope was up next, bouncing on her heels and covering my face with kisses before hugging me, whispering her version of sweet nothings in my ear. Letting go, she moved to circle her arms around Derek’s waist, the happy tears and smile never leaving her face.</p><p>Aaron all but tackled me when he hugged me, the tension releasing out of his shoulders as I tightened around him. He kept me in a tight hug for what felt like forever, and I gripped the back of his hair, scratching his scalp gently a little. He leaned into my touch, and sighed brokenly.</p><p>”Welcome home.” He said quietly, and I relaxed into his touch, bringing him in tighter. It was only reluctantly that either of us let go, and only briefly, him wrapping his arm around me to keep in contact. I wrapped my arm around his back, playing with the hem of his suit jacket.</p><p>A dark-haired woman stared at me, confused before reaching her hand out. She was young, her clothing well put together, and she was obviously new. It was in the way the team was around her, still unsure but a generally welcome addition.</p><p>”Emily Prentiss.” She said, as I took her hand.</p><p>”Elizabeth Walker. Call me Liz.”</p><p>”Liz is a part of our team, another profiler,” JJ explained expertly, “She’s been on a tour in Afghanistan for the last six months, as a combat medic.”</p><p>”Nice to meet you. I’ve only heard good things.” I say, tightening my arm around Hotch minutely, before letting go, to avoid further profiling—I could see Morgan’s questioning gaze.</p><p>”Oh, so they’ve told you about me?” Emily laughed, crossing her arms over her chest.</p><p>”Only good things, I promise,” I said, raising my hands, “We’re allowed to use Skype over there, and I try to talk to the team as much as I can during my allotted slot. I was impressed with your work in Guantanamo Bay, you even got Gideon’s praise.”</p><p>”Jeez, Gideon’s praise? That’s a lot.”</p><p>”You’re getting off on the right foot Emily, I’ll tell you that.”</p><p>“Well, I’m glad—but I best be off, I need to catch my train.”</p><p>”Okay, it was nice meeting you!” I called after her as she walked away.</p><p> </p><p>Slowly, one by one the team began to leave, until it was only Aaron and I in the office. I had been completing paperwork for coming back, still in my BDUs, and when I finished I brought it up to Aaron’s office.</p><p>Knocking gently on the door twice, he waved me in, and I came in to place the paperwork on his desk.</p><p>He nodded to thank me and finished scribbling on his page, before rising from his deck. He came around from behind it and encased me in another hug. Aaron dropped his head on my shoulder, nuzzling into my neck slightly. I smiled, leaning into him.</p><p>”I’m so glad you’re home.” He said his voice low, and just above a whisper. I could feel him almost shaking with relief.</p><p>“Me too.”</p><p>”It was absolute hell without you,” Aaron murmured, huffing slightly with a laugh, “things with Haley have been getting worse, and when Emily came in I thought they were replacing you, and my heart just broke.”</p><p>”I’m not going anywhere. I promise. They told me that I’m free from tours for the next five years. It’s not a guarantee they’ll call me back even for a while after that.”</p><p>”I was so worried about you— after you told me what happened to Thad those years ago, I—“ He went quiet, drawing me in closer.</p><p>”I’m here now, and I’m safe, okay? I’m here, I’m not going anywhere,” his shoulders dropped with relief, “I promise.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading!! I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did, and I’m aware that she and Aaron are getting a little close for him still being married, he just missed his girl and I wanted him to be open and I justified it because things are going down hill with Haley. Oh well!! ;)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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